Family Camping: How To Have Better Family Camping Trips
If you can put up with being asked “Are we there yet?” precisely 57 times on the way, you can be assured that you and your children can have the experience of a lifetime camping together.
A family camping trip with kids is a lot of work but also a lot of fun and the more prepared you are the better time you and your kids will have.
Here are 20 quick and easy ways to entertain children every minute while on a family camping vacation.
1. Hold a selection of secret treasures in a surprise box. Add one or two new ones every day for added enjoyment.
2. Take your video camera. If you don’t have on then think about hiring one.
3. Teach your children about bush survival and safety around the camp site. Encourage help with meal preparation but always supervise them around the fire as it is a very dangerous place.
4. Always bring a bug jar.
5. Bring along some toy zoo animals and let your children create their own zoo in the wild.
6. Bring some glow in the dark necklaces and torches. Bring along glow sticks for night lights. If your children are scared of the dark then tie a glow stick from the top of your tent.
7. Bring a constellation chart and try and find different stars at night.
8. Bring along scrabble, memory games and a deck of cards.
9. Create a scavenger hunt.
10. Have a nature hike giving each child a list of items to collect.
11. Have a flashlight dance in the spotlight.
12. Allocate one soft small bag per child to put their favourite items in like colouring books, pencils, reading books, etc.
13. Have a special children’s tape handy in the car for just that moment when the car (heaven forbid) breaks down, your tyre goes flat, or you get stuck in a traffic jam.
14. Let your children be involved in the planning and if they see places they’d like to go to or explore think of their needs as well. The more well-rounded your trip is the more fun every member of your family will have as a whole. Remember, this is a time for family togetherness so as long as you are together that’s the main thing.
15. Bring along a pack of pipe cleaners which amuse kids for hours. They can turn them into numbers, letters, animals, bugs etc. They’re only limited by their imagination.
16. Let each child create a little camp diary where they can do drawings, write stories, stick in pictures, glue in pieces of nature, etc.
17. Get your children involved by collecting water, grating cheese, setting the picnic blanket, collecting firewood, washing the vegetables, etc. You can even create a little competition and split chores into groups and keep a tally for your whole trip.
18. Bring along a couple of flashlights for some after dark exploring. Remember at night there is a whole different world of wildlife out there.
19. Keep teenagers happy by letting them bring Game Boys, walkmans, their favourite books and magazines, etc. Teenagers are renowned for wanting to spend time alone so let them. They’ll usually come out when they’ve had enough of their own company and if they’ve done something they wanted to do there’s less chance that they’ll whinge (hopefully).
20. Allow each member of the family to choose a meal and help fix it.
Plan your Camping Gear Ahead for a Safe Trip
If you are planning to spend some time trekking and camping out in the wilderness, there will be some additional camping gear that you will need to take along with you. If your time away is going to be an extended hike through the great outdoors for several days and you plan on sleeping outdoors, there may be other additional items that you may want to consider adding to your backpack. Instead of rushing out and buying your camping gear at the last minute, plan your camping trip ahead and only purchase the camping gear that you will need. This will give you time to shop around for the best quality at the best price.
The amount of camping gear that you will need to take will depend on several factors
1. The length of time you will be away. If it is a short time such as a few days or over night then you will only need a small amount of food and clothing. Cooking can be kept to a minimum. For longer periods away you will have to take more food and better cooking equipment.
2. The time of year is an important consideration. If it is in the summer months then light clothing is all that is required. If it is in the cooler months then you will require heavier, warmer clothing and better rain wear. Remember to always take good quality rainwear regardless of the weather forecast.
3. Are you camping out in the wilderness or are you staying in hikers cabins. This will determine whether you need to carry a suitable tent.
Always remember to share your camping gear between your hiking partners to balance the load.
The most important piece of camping gear that you will need is your backpack. This needs to be large enough to carry everything that you will need for your time away. Do not buy the cheapest backpack but look for the best one that will sit on your back comfortably. Make sure that it is light enough. Most camping store owners will show you how to adjust the backpack to balance the weight correctly. Another tip is to always use a waterproof pack liner. I have yet to find a pack that will not leak from consistent rain.
Take plenty of Food and Water
Never make the mistake of loading all of your food for your trek straight out of your pantry into your backpack, such as tinned items or food in a jar. The best food to take is dehydrated meals. Although these meals may not look too appetizing, they will sustain you and they can be a fraction of the weight. Also make sure you take plenty of water. This is important because you need to stay hydrated during your walk and when you camp there may not be any good quality drinking water.
Never take away large quantities of basic items such as sugar or salt. If you work out what quantity you need for each meal and then double it you will be surprised how little you need. Make sure that all of your camping gear is in water proof containers or plastic bags.
The most important thing is not to pack any unnecessary or heavy items of camping gear that you probably will not use, especially on a short trek away. For those weekend stays away in the wilderness, if you do find something that you left at home, then it doesn’t matter. It is only for a day or two and you can not take everything.
